Born in Grottkau, near Breslau in Silesia, he was perhaps the greatest lutenist ever to have lived, as evidenced by his fame, contemporary reports of other musicians, sheer output of music, and his high salary. He was raised in the area that had already fostered lutenists such as the father and son Esias Reusner, LeSage de Richee, Meusel, Baron, Kroppfgans, and Straube. Herr Weiss was raised in a very musical family, having been taught by his father, Johann Jakob Weiss. He also had a brother and sister who also were reported to be lutenists (Johann Sigismund and Juliana Margaretha), but it had been evident from a young age that Sylvius was by far the finest of them all.

The first accounts of Weiss? musical activities have been traced back to 1706, when at about age 19, he was employed at the court of Count Karl Philipp of Palatinat-Neuburg in Breslau, where he was taken in company with Friedrich of Hessen-Kassel, the heir prince, to Kassel. During this time, Weiss? father and brother were also employed at Dusseldorf. After 1710, Sylvius was in the service of Alexander Sobieski, Prince of Poland. It was when he accompanied Sobieski to Rome while in exile, that he had the opportunity to meet Domenico and Allesandro Scarlatti, Archangelo Corelli, Heinichen, and Georg Friederich Handel. Being in close contact and collaboration with such immense talent had a lasting effect on Weiss, in both his playing ability and his compositional style. It was Sylvius who introduced the Italian style to German baroque lute music, which previously still was mostly in the style of the French subtle, harmonious, and short phrases; he began hinting elements of longer melodic phrases, with a more established bass pattern, and long sequences and new elements of musical ideas. Weiss then left Italy after 1714, when his patron Alexander Sobieski died.

After his return to Breslau, Weiss resumed a position with his former employer, Count Karl Philipp. During this time he also traveled to places such as Vienna and Prague, where he met the lutenist Count Johann Anton Losy von Losimthal.

Around the year 1718, Weiss changed patrons, securing a court position in Dresden with the Prince Elector of Saxony, known as August the Strong, King of Poland, lasting until the composer?s death in 1750. In service of the Elector Weiss would perform for him, his family, dignitaries, and in the court. As if this were not sufficient, Weiss also performed in the Dresden Orchestra, where he was principal accompanist. It was during the later years in his life when Weiss became the highest paid musician in all of Germany.

While in Dresden, he worked with the musicians of the highest caliber, including Quantz, Pisendel, Buffardin, and Hasse. Rejecting offers for even more lucrative appointments, he remained in Dresden, because he believed it the most highly refined musical establishment of the age. His fame was so widespread, in that it made him one of the most important musicians during baroque Germany. He had students from afar, seeking his guidance and knowledge. As was only just, he received the highest salary of all the Dresden musicians.

During visits to Prague in 1717 and 1718-19, Weiss met luthier Thomas Edlinger. During this period, there was a ?new? configuration for the baroque lute, in which a rider was added to the basses to make the instrument now with 13 courses, making for a complete octave for the diapasons. This ?splendid instrument? as Weiss himself described it became the new standard of lute construction, and henceforth, with only a few exceptions, all new music for the lute was for the 13-course lute. Not only did this change in construction affect the sound and depth of the lute, but also it dramatically changed the manner in which composers wrote for it. With all certainty, this opened up greater possibilities for Weiss? composing, and it is evident that it changed the style of lute writing in general. This recording by Eduardo Egüez was performed on such an instrument.

By all accounts, Sylvius was absolutely brilliant as a performer, and could improvise and embellish musical ideas in an astonishing fashion. He was a friend and colleague of Johann Sebastian Bach. There is some documentation that Weiss (on lute) and Bach (on harpsichord) had a competition of performing and improvising fantasies and fugues. Johann Elias Bach recorded one such meeting, where Weiss and Kroppfgans went to Leipzig in 1739, where they met at J.S. Bach?s residence. It was described as an occasion with exceptional music making. A recent discovery reveals another instance of musical collaboration between the two including the work by Bach, BWV 1025, a sonata for violin and harpsichord obbligato in A major. Close examination of the harpsichord part reveals an entire late sonata by Weiss, which suggests that Bach ?borrowed? this sonata from Weiss. Bach as well composed some of the finest music for the lute, and this was previously discussed in Eduardo Egüez? previous
MA Recordings (The Lute Music of Johann Sebastian Bach, volume 1 and 2, MO53A and MO54A).

?He has been the first to show that more could be done on the lute that was hitherto thought possible. And in regard to his skill, I can sincerely testify that it makes no difference whether one hears an ingenious organist performing his fantasias and fugues on a harpsichord or hears Monsieur Weiss playing. In arpeggios he has an extraordinary full-voiced texture, in expression emotions he is incomparable, he has stupendous technique and an unheard-of delicacy and cantabile charm. He is a great improviser, who can play extemporaneously the most beautiful themes or even play on his lute violin concerti directly from their notation, and he plays Thorough-Bass extraordinarily well on either lute or theorbo?.

Weiss also had an association with Luise Gottsched, recognized as an important figure in German literature and poetry. In addition to her writing, she also performed on harpsichord and lute. Living near Leipzig, close to Dresden, she was a lute student of Weiss, and she gathered a collection of Weiss? music. Musicologist Tim Crawford published his translation of a posthumous letter composed by Gottsched after Weiss died in 1750:

?Weiss (Sylvio Leopold), a great lutenist...
His own father, who brought his splendid natural talent so far, first taught him that by his seventh year he had already played before Emperor Leopold I. His compositions stand out above all that are known today. To be sure, some say they are difficult, but only those who are too careless or too old, or otherwise prefer another instrument. But they are very hard to find, since he was very reluctant to let them out of his hands. Therefore whoever has a good collection must regard it as a treasure and cherish it.
His touch was very gentle; one could hear it, but did not know where the notes were coming from. In improvising he was incomparable; the piano and forte were completely in his grasp. In short, he was master of his instrument and could do whatever he wanted with it. His surviving works consist of solos, trios, concertos, tombeaux, among which the one for Count Losy is incomparable, and a few Galenterie pieces. When he died, in 1750 the world lost the greatest lutenist that Europe has ever heard and admired?.

Weiss has left us many pieces, and new discoveries of works continue to reveal even more; in the latest count, there are more than 850 pieces that are extant. For reasons which are unclear, none of his works were printed in his lifetime, with very few exceptions; the works that we have today were found scattered in various manuscripts in Europe and Russia. Most of his works are in the Suite or Partita format, although Weiss himself referred to them as sonatas. They consist of groupings of dance movements, often with a preceding Prelude or Overture, and these sonatas contain various movements typical of the partita format. The largest collections are found in the British Library (London Manuscript, Add. 30387), and Germany (Dresden Manuscript, Sachsisches Landesbibliothek Mus.2841-V-I). For additional information on the life, works, various manuscript sources or literature concerning Sylvius Leopold Weiss, please see a comprehensive web page devoted exclusively to him available in English, French, or German at http://www.slweiss.com/.

Eduardo Egüez Biography

Birth:

1959, Buenos Aires.

Studies:

-Miguel Angel Girollet (guitar).

-Eduardo Fernandez (guitar).

-School of Arts and musical Sciences
of the Catholic University of Argentina (composition).

-Hopkinson Smith, Schola Cantorum
Basiliensis (lute diploma,1995).

Snr. Egüez is currently one of the principal representatives of the new generation of lute
players.

Has given numerous concerts as a soloist
in Austria, Argentina, Chile, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Holland, Switzerland, Uruguay, etc with excellent reviews from knowledgable critics and a warm reception by the
public.

After graduating in Switzerland he moved
to Italy, expanding his expertise into the field of early music. His current performances are oriented towards characteristic repertoires of
major instruments such as the baroque lute, the theorbo, the vihuela and the
baroque guitar.